We probably all remember Ciate's last great invention, the Caviar Manicure and Imma try really hard not to bang on about those emails and that drama. Well they're back again with the Velvet Manicure and I'm sure we're all familiar with Ciate's MO of taking something that has been done before, packaging it in a pretty bottle with a bow on top and selling it at 9250% the price of the exact same thing bought elsewhere. I actually did the maths on that one! So you won't be shocked to hear that you can get the Velvet look for a teeny fraction of the price at home.
In all fairness, I watched Ciate's Velvet Nails tutorial video and it does look like their product is finer and more like a powder than the Flock I bought from Goldleaf Craft Supplies on eBay, but I doubt that anyone will be looking close enough to tell.
This is Burgundy Flock from Goldleaf Craft Supplies on eBay and it cost me £2.89 including shipping for 75ml/10g.
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In all fairness, I watched Ciate's Velvet Nails tutorial video and it does look like their product is finer and more like a powder than the Flock I bought from Goldleaf Craft Supplies on eBay, but I doubt that anyone will be looking close enough to tell.
I used Models Own Purple Grey as a base colour. For the accent nail, I painted on my second coat of colour and let it dry a little before pressing the Flock on with my fingers. I didn't get great coverage around the edges and I think that's because I let it dry for too long so there wasn't enough wet polish there for the Flock to stick to. I used a Fan Brush to swipe away all the excess, although as you can see, I missed a few bits!
This is Burgundy Flock from Goldleaf Craft Supplies on eBay and it cost me £2.89 including shipping for 75ml/10g.
And here are the maths behind my 9250% claim. It is based on my best guess at how much Velvet comes in the kit as I couldn't find that information anywhere on the internet! I hope it's clear enough but to sum up, if you were to purchase 75ml of flock (that I paid £2.89 for) at Ciate price, you'd pay £49.95 for it. Ouch.
*£9.00 is half the full price of the Velvet Manicure kit. 13.5ml is the capacity of a Ciate Bottle, I do not know exactly how much Velvet comes in the kit.
Thank you for posting this! It's definitely something unique! (but tbh, not at the ciate price) :)
ReplyDeleteHahaha, I love this. People are wasting their money on these Ciate products. I feel like sending this post to anyone who ever considered buying their velvet manicure kit.
ReplyDeleteHaha, love the math!
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I do not get the graze of velvet nails and I don't understand why people want hairy fingernails? Plus, who the hell would pay that much to get Ciate's hairy nails?
ReplyDeleteGreat post as always!
I LOVE GoldleafCraft, such a great company. Next time, try applying your flocking powder 'sieved' through a tea strainer over your polish and you'll have a more even finish! Brush off, and 'sieve' a little more. TOP TIP :D
ReplyDeletexameliax
Lol you've got to be kidding me. What the hell is wrong with Ciaté??
ReplyDeleteThat's a very pretty color as well. :)
Hi both caviar and velvet trends i have bought the poor womens version hehe i have bought acccent beads as caviar beads and velverteen not to sure how its spelt but its a lil finer than the one that you yourself have used.
ReplyDeletebecca x
I've seen some great flocked nails out and around the intertubes. I bought my flocking powder in a scrapbooking set of 7 colors and matching 7 colors of loose glitter, with a half price coupon, at JoAnn's.
ReplyDeleteHaven't tried the fish egg look yet, but I'm sure I'll get around to it eventually.
are they claiming this one as their own as well because i remember in the whole caviar debacle, jen of the polishaholic did a mani using flocking powder. do i sense history repeating itself?
ReplyDeleteGreat :)
ReplyDeleteI've been seeing this mani on blogs forever and think it's ridiculous how Ciate comes out with something and labels it "new" like they came up with it!
ReplyDeletelove it!!<3
ReplyDeleteWhenever I see someone boasting about their "new" Ciate nail art I always cringe at the thought of how much they paid when I know I could get MORE of the same thing for WAYYYY less....thats why people need to be educated consumers and do their homework!!
ReplyDeleteLove this mani btw...perfect for fall : )
Wow people are still so bitter about the Caviar mani thing... everyone seems to forget that this brand is a business. This type of thing happens every day in the business world. Anyways, I love the mani nevertheless xx
ReplyDelete(as in yours) x
DeleteI like this a lot more than the caviar manicure. Too bad that i think i can't buy that flock in my country.
ReplyDeleteSporting goods stores have flock too. Well, if they have a fly tying section, they do. Shouldn't be too expensive there, either.
Deletegreat color but i didn't like the velvet. the hair is a lil bit irritating.
ReplyDeleteHahah thanks for this post. Ciate is so full of themselves.
ReplyDeleteI hear Ciate's next groundbreaking kit will be a glequin manicure. ;) Great post!
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Well said.
DeleteCiate...*shaking head* Oh well, I don't have a problem with them marketing the product, it's the whole "Oh, this is OUR original technique and you can't use it without our permission" line that bugs me. In any case, great manicure :)
ReplyDeleteI love your velvet nail. It's original, really cool.
ReplyDeleteVelvet and caviar manis are not for my taste, but that Models Own polish looks fabulous on you, both the shade and your awesome application
ReplyDeleteUpon further web surfing, there seem to be velvet manicures that are more furry/fuzzy/hairy and others that look more like suede. I really like the ones that are smooth like suede. Does anyone know what the difference is; maybe application?
DeleteFirst of all... I love that base color.. I own it myself and I have used it a lot :)
ReplyDeleteSecond of all... the velvet mani looks so adorable :)
Love the math at the end :)
ReplyDeleteI love that you used brown to create this mani!
ReplyDeleteCute! I can see this working nicely for a Christmas design
ReplyDeleteThank you for the post! It is very original :)
ReplyDeleteI'm in the US and maybe this product is priced VERY differently here, but I don't think your math adds up. You used half of the price of the velvet manicure kit to compare the cost of the velvet powder. Here in the US, the kit comes with a full size bottle of polish, the powder, and a brush for $19. A bottle of polish alone is $15, so that means the value of the powder would be $4. That's closer to 1/4 of the kit cost than 1/2. $4 is also the same cost as a vial of flocking powder from a local craft store, though, like you, I don't have a quantity to compare it with.
ReplyDeleteDoes your version come with a mini bottle of polish?